10 Guys Whose Careers Took Off After Turning 40

If Giorgio Armani can do it, maybe you can make something of yourself yet

Is there a right way to get ahead?! Welcome to Raise Your Game—our week of examining success at work, whether you’re Patrick Bateman, an on-the-job stoner, or just a guy who wants to see a shit-ton of zeros on his paycheck.

For many men, 32 is an age of existential crisis. Think of everything Jesus did by the time he was that old. What have you done? Thankfully, few men today dream of becoming the messiah, but it’s hard not to measure yourself against the accomplishments of people your own age. Fret not: There are countless successful men who didn’t even begin to hit their stride before they turned 40. As the ten listed here prove, when it comes to ambition there’s no such thing as “over the hill.”

Momofuku Ando: Instant may seem like an odd stamp to leave on the world, but Ando’s invention is as ubiquitous in the U.S. as it is in Japan. Ando finally cracked the code when he was 48, but his most famous creation, Cup Noodles, didn’t come until he was the ripe age of 61. Since then, instant noodles have become a staple for cash-strapped 20-somethings and natural disaster victims alike.

Giorgio Armani: Today, “Armani” is synonymous with style, and it’s hard to imagine a man alive who’s had such an outsized impact on the world of fashion. But when Giorgio Armani presented his first menswear collection in 1975, he was already 41. Now with his company entering its fourth decade, and Giorgio his eighth, Armani shows no signs of slowing down as the company opens luxury hotels in capital cities around the world.

Norman Borlaug: You may not know his name, but Borlaug has done more to change the world than anyone on this list. By the time he was in his fifties, this Nobel laureate’s research to enhance wheat production became widespread in Mexico, Pakistan, and India, and he is credited, without exaggeration, with saving a billion lives. By the time he was in his eighties, Borlaug had won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. has, and its Indian equivalent.

Anthony Bourdain: The life of Anthony Bourdain the chef took a dramatic turn at the age of 44, when he became Anthony Bourdain the author after the New Yorker published one of his essays. This led to a book deal, and Kitchen Confidential launched the career of Anthony Bourdain the TV Host, Anthony Bourdain the Professional Traveler, and Anthony Bourdain the Endearing Smartass. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that he has the job of your dreams.

RuPaul Charles: RuPaul’s career could have petered out along with his talk show in the late nineties. But in 2009, just before turning 50, the Supermodel of the World came roaring back with RuPaul’s Drag Race, now sporting seven seasons and two spin-offs. A shameless self-promoter, the most successful drag queen in the world may have been on a slow burn, but he’s gone from club kid to full-blown media mogul.

Stephen Colbert: No one’s going to argue that it’s unsuccessful to be a correspondent on The Daily Show, but with respect to Steve Carrell, no one’s going to say that any Daily Show alum has been more successful than Stephen Colbert. The first episode of The Colbert Report aired in 2005, when Colbert was at the ripe age of 41. Now manning The Late Show, Colbert boasts a Peabody, Captain America’s shield, and a spider named for him.

Lee Daniels:Monster’s Ball, the first film from Lee Daniels Entertainment, came out in 2001, just before the producer turned 41. Daniels didn’t start to come into his own until he directed 2009’s Precious and 2013’s The Butler. But now with his show Empire, Daniels is commanding a level of fame and respect rarely afforded to non-actors in the TV world.

Warren Eisenberg: The co-founder of Bed, Bath & Beyond didn’t even create the company, much less open its first store, until 1971, when he was in his forties. Now the Fortune 500 company is spread across North America, and the reclusive Eisenberg makes a not-so-modest $4.2 million annually.

Marlon James: The literary world has been buzzing this week over the latest winner of the Man Booker Prize, A History of Seven Killings. Marlon James’s fictional take on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley has earned international praise, but his first novel was rejected 78 times before it was finally published. But that rejection wasn’t enough to deter the now-44-year-old Jamaican novelist, who now boasts one of the most prestigious prizes in English literature.

Marc Maron: The life of a comedian is counterintuitively difficult and despairing. A modestly accomplished career Marc Maron’s pre-podcast era was a coveted thing, but it’s nothing compared to wild success of WTF with Marc Maron. Averaging over 200,000 downloads per episode, Maron has interviewed Louis C.K., Robin Williams, NPR’s Terri Gross, and even some guy named Barack Obama.